Baltic Treasures in Six Countries

Explore the cultural tapestry of Eastern Europe on a trip that visits Russia, Finland, Austria, Poland, Hungary and eastern Germany from Aug. 20 to Sept. 10. Guests will take a train from Helsinki, Finland, to St. Petersburg, Russia. Guests also travel to Vienna; Budapest, Hungary; Krakow, Waldowice (former home of Pope John Paul II), Auschwitz, Czestochowa and Warsaw, Poland; and Berlin. Participants will also take a dinner cruise on the Tisza River in Hungary.

Cost: $4,250 per person, double occupancy, including round-trip air fare, first class rail (overnight sleeper), many meals, folk music shows, a horse show and entrance fees.

Contact: Betty Leonard, Shamrock Travel, 213-C Avenida Majorca, Laguna Hills, CA 92653; telephone (714) 470-0301.

White-Water Rafting

The white-water rafting outfit ROW has added the Bruneau River to its list of adventure trips. The river, a tributary of the Snake in southwest Idaho, runs through an area called the Sistine Chapel of canyon lands. Because of its limited seasonal flow, only three, four-day, 40-mile trips can be arranged. Departures are May 31, June 5 and 11. Ten adventurers are scheduled per trip. The rapids are Class III to IV.

Cost: $1,100 per person, including Boise airport transfers, three nights of tent camping, four lunches, three breakfasts, three dinners, guides and all requisite equipment.

Contact: ROW; tel. (800) 451-6034.

Ethiopian Excursion

David Anderson Safaris has scheduled a nine-day journey to Ehtiopia beginning Aug. 8. Stops include Addis Ababa, the capital; the Blue Nile Gorge; the 13th century Debre Libanos Monastery; the Mercato open-air market; Axum, believed to be a favorite of the Queen of Sheba; Tissisat Falls; and Lake Tana.

Cost: $2,751 per person, double occupancy, including lodging, all meals, internal flights, guides and ground transportation. There is a $542 three-day extension to Dire-Dawa and Muslim Harar. Air to Addis Ababa is not included.

Contact: David Anderson Safaris; tel. (800) 651-8438.

Archeology in Israel

Adventure-minded travelers of all ages and varying physical capacities will have the opportunity to participate in volunteer programs of digging up the ancient while seeing the present.

The Israel Archeological Society is offering flexible expedition schedules between June 18 and July 31. No prior archeological experience is necessary. Participants usually dig and explore early in the day, leaving late afternoons and evenings available for attending concerts, plays, lectures and sightseeing in Israel and Jordon.

Cost: $3,895 to $7,995 (two to six weeks) per person, including air fare, a cruise on the Nile, hotels, some meals and ground transportation.

Contact: Israel Archeological Society; tel. (800) 477-2358.

Grand Canyon Hikes

Timberline Adventures of Denver will stage a series of inn-to-inn hiking programs in the Grand Canyon with multiple departures planned for now through May and again in September and October.

Unique to Timberline’s program is the six-day Rim-to-River-to-Rim adventure. Hikers will walk to the canyon floor from the North Rim, spend an overnight at the historic Phantom Ranch, and then climb from the canyon to the South Rim. The second segment of the program includes a visit to Sedona and the opportunity to hike among the magnificent red rock formations of Oak Creek Canyon.

Cost: $1,195, per person including lodging, all meals and round-trip transfers from the Flagstaff, Ariz., airport.

Contact: Timberline at (800) 417-2453.

English Cathedrals

Art, music and a touch of chocolate highlight a “Pub and Cathedral Tour.” The fall tour beginning Sept. 24 for 12 nights focuses on the exploration of interesting old buildings, churches and homes, and includes a stop at Bourneville, the headquarters of Cadbury chocolates. Organist Marilyn Mason will join the tour and is scheduled for concerts in Exeter, Gloucester and York.

The group will be staying two nights in Salisbury and three nights each in Exeter, Gloucester, and York, ending with a night in Oxford. From these towns travelers will be exploring Cornwall and Wales, as well as the western section of England. An add-on of one night in Oxford and a few nights in London is also available at an extra cost.

Cost: $2,675 per person, double occupancy including hotels, ground transportation, all breakfasts and dinners, and sightseeing.

Contact: The Judson Studios, 200 South Ave. No. 66, Los Angeles, CA 90042; tel. (800) 445-8376.

British Home Stays

The Friendship Forces of Los Angeles is offering a tour with home stays in Cardiff, Wales, and Derbyshire, England, from July 18 to Aug. 2.

Home stays include meals, bed and hospitality. The Welsh hosts are planning to take the group to Laugharne, where poet Dylan Thomas is buried.

Plans of the Derbyshire club include a visit to Sherwood Forest in Nottingham, and possibly a jaunt up to York or down to Stratford.

Cost: $1,495 per person, double occupancy including air fare from LAX, ground transportation and two one-week home stays.

Contact: George or Helen Freeborn, Friendship Force of Los Angeles; tel. (562) 424-0836.

Wines of France

A luxury fall harvest wine tour of France is available Sept. 11 to 25, and is accompanied by wine writer Robert Lawrence Balzer. Guests visit Paris, Champagne, Burgundy, Rhone, Bordeaux, Cognac and Loire. They will visit wineries and meet the owners, tour historical sites and eat at gourmet restaurants.

Cost: $4,395 per person, double occupancy, including hotels, most meals, entrance fees and ground transportation.

Contact: Frances Reps at Sailair Travel; tel. (800) 759-5800, Ext. 4094.

Pakistan Craft Festival

From Oct. 11 to 26, travelers can join an arts and crafts tour of Pakistan. A festival in Islamabad will present arts and crafts, folk music and dance from the many tribes of Pakistan. These artisans are skilled in woodcarving, metal-smithing, jewelry and textiles, especially embroidery, block printing and silk weaving.

Following the festival, stops will be made in the tribal areas for market days, and to archeological and architectural sites. A visit will be made to the home of the tribal chief of Leghari Baluchistan, a Mogul estate. Villages on the Indus River, which runs the length of Pakistan, will offer opportunities to visit with the masters of different crafts. A representative of the national ethnographic museum in Islamabad will travel with the group.

Cost: $1,659 per person, double occupancy, including hotels, ground transportation, some meals and sightseeing. Air fare is extra.

Contact: Opa! Folklore Tours, 7560-5 Eads Ave., La Jolla, CA 92037; tel. (619) 456-2264.

The Times is not responsible for changes in prices, dates or itineraries. These should be confirmed with cruise lines, travel agents or tour operators.